That Girls Blog: Don’t Forget To Tip!

Photo by Estia

It was just a few weeks ago that we were all going about our daily life. Minding our own business, sharing stories and laughs over a glass of wine or a pizza. Maybe you went to one of the many parties during the Cape Cod Saint Patrick’s Parade, or perhaps you splurged on a special night out for Valentines Day back in February. 

My last dinner out was at Estia in Mashpee Commons. There were just four of us and the shadow of a “Stay Home” advisory was already creeping across the Cape, although no official order had been announced. This was the first time I had eaten there because there was always such a long line to get in, especially on a Friday night.  As we all enjoyed our meals and ordered a second round of drinks, we realized there were a lot of open tables and open seats at the bar. 

Our waiter was wonderful. The food was delicious. We stayed until we were the last people in the place… which was only around 9 o’clock. As we were leaving it hit me that the dozen or so servers and cooks didn’t know if they were still going to have jobs by the end of the weekend. I felt guilty for my full belly and the bag of leftovers I had in my hand as the stave wished us all a good night. 

I darted back to our table and emptied the “emergency cash stash” pocket from my purse. It wasn’t much, maybe twenty dollars, but it was all I had. 

Sunday night, Governor Charlie Baker, in a live press conference, ordered all restaurants and bars in the state of Massachusetts to end sit-down service. Although he stopped short of closing them down entirely, it still opened up a volcanic sized wound in the heart of Cape Cod’s service industry. “Pick-Up” only instantly meant that every waiter,  waitress, bartender and bus-person was now out of a job. 

Yes, the stimulus checks are on their way, but that is of little solace to the men and women who live from paycheck to paycheck and from tip to tip on our little sand spit. 

Had you known this pandemic was coming, would you have gone back and left a bigger tip that last time you were out? 

Believe it or not, you can! 

A service industry website has been established across the country that allows patrons to log on and leave an online tip for your favorite server! Each server can set up their own account and receives the tips through their own secure Venmo account. Currently there are over 200 Cape Cod servers on the site and there have been over 650 tips made! 

It’s like a virtual “tip jar”! Here is the link: https://serviceindustry.tips/en/ma/cape-cod/ 

If you want to leave a tip for a specific server, just refresh the page to scroll through, or leave a tip for a randomly selected individual. You will see their name and the restaurant where the work. 

Of course, many restaurants remain open and are continuing to provide your favorite meals for curbside pick-up. Here is a list you might want to scroll through for your next meal: https://www.capecod.com/lifestyle/these-cape-cod-restaurants-are-offering-to-go-ordering/ 

We are all in this together. If we each set aside a little extra to put back unto the pockets of the men and women who really are the backbone of the Cape Cod community, we will come out just a little bit better on the other side of this crisis. 

We know there are many businesses across the Cape stepping up to help our community. If you want to share a story, click HERE!

 

About Cat Wilson

Cat Wilson is "That Girl" on Cape Country 104 – a Cape Cod native and longtime Cape radio personality. She is a passionate supporter of Military and Veteran causes on the Cape and also hosts local music spotlight program, “The Cheap Seats” on Ocean 104.7.



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